Caerphilly airforce man to boost soldiers’ literacy skills

An airforce officer from Caerphilly has been sent to Afghanistan to boost the reading and writing skills of soldiers on the frontline.

Flight Lieutenant Dan Fordyce, 31, is based in Helmand province as part of the RAF and said he wanted to help troops obtain the equivalent of a D at GCSE.

He told The Press Association: “It is really rewarding sitting down and seeing the improvement and seeing someone as something. They may not have actually passed an exam in their lives before.

“They may not be used to positive praise or know how to take it.

“It is vital to a private soldier’s job, particularly out here. There is literacy and numeracy required in every walk of life – and soldiering is no different. They have got to be able to read a map, even things like telling the time, communicating on a radio.

Flt Lt Fordyce is a training officer and has been with the airforce almost a decade and served in Iraq in 2003. He does not know how many soldiers fail minimum standards.

He added: “It is big enough that the Army has decided they had to improve it and they want to get everyone’s level of literacy and numeracy up in standard.”